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Grants & Scholarships

Who would say “no” to free money?

The opportunity to study abroad may come around once in a lifetime. While it offers students the chance to expand their personal and academic horizons, we understand that finances play a major role in the decision-making process. With that in mind, St. John’s offers substantial grants to make semester-length study abroad more affordable. These grants are based entirely on need and eligible students can receive up to $6,000 in additional aid against the $8,290 program fee in order to make their international education dreams a reality – without the financial burden. Students will be notified of their eligibility via paper letter and e-mail twice per academic year.

Scholarship Opportunities

The links below highlight application-based scholarship opportunities, but you should think of your existing St. John’s financial aid—and any additional study abroad grants you’d receive toward a semester abroad—as the “base” for determining how much study abroad will really cost you and your family. For further information, including making a direct comparison between studying abroad and studying in NYC, please contact our colleague in the Office of Student Financial Services: Kayon McKenzie. If you're a veteran interested in studying abroad, please contact Marion Concilio.

Students from other U.S. universities should also contact their home institution's financial aid office, as well as our Visiting Student page, for specific information on the type of aid available to each individual.

The Institute of International Education's (IIE) Study Abroad Funding website has a database to help students discover more study abroad program and scholarship opportunities. Students in search of more funding should click here to research more opportunities.

Funded through a generous donation from CPS Professor of Management & Marketing Andrea Licari, The Licari Scholarship seeks to provide undergraduate and graduate students with high financial need the opportunity to study abroad on one of our summer or winter faculty-directed programs. For programs taking place in 2018, we expect to award up to 5 student with scholarships of up to $1,000 to defray program costs. This program is only open to St. John’s students.

Application deadline for summer program participants: March 1st Application deadline for winter program participants: October 8th

To apply for the Licari Scholarship, please submit your completed, typed application form and essay (by email or in person) to the Office of Global Studies.

With the support of the United States government and through binational partnerships with foreign governments, the Fulbright Scholarship Program sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for exchanges in all areas of endeavor, including the sciences, business, academia, public service, government, and the arts and continues to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 8,000 grants annually.

For more information about the program and how to apply, please visit the Fulbright Scholar Program website. More information on St. John's University students who have become Fulbright scholars can be found on our website.

The Italian Cultural Center offers scholarships for students who have been accepted to study at SJU in Rome during the summer, fall or spring sessions. This award is not applicable to the Discover the World or Global Passport program.

Provide, as a reference, a letter from one member of the faculty with whom you have studied within the past year. Letters must be emailed as an attachment to dandreaj@stjohns.edu by the professor writing the recommendation.

Upon completion of the time in Rome, recipient shall furnish an essay addressing their experiences in the program and the impact it has made in their academic and personal life

Upon completion of the time in Rome, recipients will receive an invitation to attend an ICC Welcome Reception where they will meet the ICC Board members and informally talk about their experiences in Rome.

Important: Please type your essay on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to your application!

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships are available to Federal Pell Grant eligible students who study abroad during the semester, summer, winter and calendar year on a program that is a minimum of four weeks in length. Read an article on SJU's Three Spring 2017 Winners!

The application deadline for Spring and early summer 2018 programs is October 3, 2017. Submit online applications by 11:59pm Central Daylight Time (CDT). Late applications will not be accepted.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.

Approximately 800 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded during an academic year for U.S. citizen undergraduates to study abroad. Award amounts will vary depending on the length of study and student need with the average award being $4,000. Undergraduate students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding at 2-year or 4-year colleges or universities are eligible to apply.

Before a student begins the Gilman Application, he/she should contact their study abroad office at their home institution and meet with their study abroad advisor and financial aid advisor to certify their Gilman Scholarship applications.

Students who apply for and receive the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad are now eligible to receive an additional $3,000 Critical Need Language Supplement from the Gilman Program for a total possible award of up to $8,000. Approximately 25 Critical Need Language Supplements will be offered to Gilman Scholarship recipients.

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add an important international and language component to their educations. The program focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security.

All US citizens currently enrolled in an undergraduate institution and planning to study abroad in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand are eligible to apply.

The applications for the David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are available at www.borenawards.org.

Go Overseas, a listing and reviews website for programs abroad, offers $500 scholarships for students planning to study or intern abroad. For more information and application instructions, as well as helpful tips to approaching scholarship applicatons, please visit the Go Overseas website.

Diversity Abroad, in cooperation with the AIFS Foundation, will offer $500 scholarships for fall and spring study abroad. Five scholarships are available each semester. Economically disadvantaged students, first-generation students, students with disabilities and ethnic and racial diverse students are strongly encouraged to apply online. All St. John's students who meet the minimum requirements are eligible to apply. If you are a visiting student from another university, please contact DiversityAbroad.com to verify if your home school is eligible.

In order to facilitate life-changing international experiences, WSA has created the Cultural Bridge Scholarship to allow students the incredible, enriching opportunity to study abroad in Europe. Each semester, scholarships will be awarded to students who demonstrate strong passion and motivation for international education.

Scholarship recipients will be awarded $500 USD in funds toward their semester abroad. All American undergraduate students with plans to study abroad in Europe are encouraged to apply. WSA Europe will award scholarships based on financial need, passion, and merit. For full details please visit the WSA website.

The Order Sons of Italy in America has awarded a range of merit-based scholarships in amounts rom $4,000 to $25,000 throughout its history. Applicants must be of Italian descent and enrolled in a four-year undergraduate or a graduate program at an accredited academic institution.

Category IItalian American students who demonstrate outstanding potential and high academic achievements. There are no specifications on applicants' area of study.

Category IIStudents from any ethnic background who have a major or minor in Italian language, Italian studies, Italian American studies or a related field and who demonstrate both high academic achievement and outstanding potential.

The Bridging Scholarship program will award 75 scholarships to American students participating in study abroad programs in Japan that begin in Fall 2016. Undergraduate students majoring in any field of study and attending any recognized exchange or independent program in Japan are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Recipients will receive stipends of $2,500 or $4,000, depending on the length of their study program in Japan.

Created to assist U.S. students with demonstrated financial need and limited prior experience in East and Southeast Asia, Freeman-ASIA will fund approximately 400 students over the next two academic years, with awards ranging from $3,000 per student for summer study and $5,000 per semester, to a maximum of $7,000 for a full year abroad.

The application cycle for Summer 2017, Fall 2017 and the Academic Year 2017-2018 will open in Spring 2017.

The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) was established in 2010 to address the need for an independent study abroad scholarship provider. FEA is expanding access to education abroad by raising awareness of its benefits to the individual and its value to the collective, with scholarships of up to $10,000.

Applicants from groups underrepresented in study abroad and those individuals who are destined for non-traditional locations are given preference, in an effort to make the demographics of U.S. undergraduates studying abroad reflect the rich diversity of the U.S. population. More information can be found on their website.

Hostelling International USA (HI USA) is a non-profit, member organization founded on an enduring belief in the power of travel to foster a deeper understanding of people, places, and the world around. HI USA has created the Explore the World Travel Scholarship, which awards recipients $2,000 to help finance their international trip as long as they have an educational or service component to their itenerary. More information can be found on their website.

Applicants must be 18-30 years of age, permanent residents of the US and be a current Pell Grant recipient.

LIVFund was established in 2011 in order to recognize and proudly support study, internship and volunteer opportunities in Latin America.

LIVFund has been designed for anyone who wants to learn, intern or volunteer [LIV] in Latin America and is seeking financial assistance in order to offset program or living abroad expenses. Our goal is to help others get the most out of their experience abroad. LIVFund is excited to offer its scholarship in 21 countries including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. LIVFund will award two scholarships per month to selected recipients in the amount of $500 USD each. Additional eligibility requirments can be found on their website.

Applications are open year-round, beginning 6 months in advance of the candidate's program start date.

At FlipKey values the importance of travel and cultural immersion as a way to learn about the world firsthand. To encourage this, they are awarding one student a $1,000 scholarship to put towards studying abroad. From tuition costs to plane tickets and spontaneous excursions in between, the scholarship money can be used to cover any of the expenses associated with studying and traveling abroad. Information on how to apply can be found on their website.

BrokerFish wants to help students realize the life-changing impact that studying can have both personally and professionally. Their scholarship program is open to all full-time students and is designed to help save money during the academic year and help with a path toward a succesful future. For information on how to apply, please visit their website.

The Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship is awarded biannually to passionate students who want to explore the world. The scholarship may be used for tuition, room and board, books, or travel. Winners of the scholarhip will receive $1,000 and a Tortuga backpack. Funds will be sent directly to the winner's study abroad program or university. In cases where this is not possible, alternative arrangements will be made. Additional information can be found on their website.

GoEuro's mission is to make travel easy by improving access to all towns and cities across Europe, whether it be by train, bus, or plane. GoEuro would like students to experience the best that Europe has to offer. To allow students to explore and travel the continent, GoEuro is offering a scholarship to financially assist international students with their studies.

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports outstanding Ph.D. students from American universities who wish to conduct research in France for a period ranging from 4 to 9 months. Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, through a collaborative process involving expert evaluators in both countries. The program is divided into two sections: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Health) and HSS (Humanities and Social Sciences).

To be eligible, candidates must be currently working on their Ph.D., be enrolled in an American Univeristy, and obtain a letter of recommendation from their advisor in the U.S., as well as a letter of invitation from a professor affilitated with a French university or research institution.

Benefits include a monthly stipend, health insurance for the entire duration of the fellowship, and a round-trip ticket to France.

NAFSA: Association for International Educators provides a list of funding resources for students participating in all types of programs abroad. We encourage you to read through each resource description to see how each award may apply to your own program abroad.

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy, in partnership with gofundme and with support from NAFSA: Association of International Educators (NAFSA), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), has launched the third edition of the France on Campus Award to celebrate and support initiatives that explore France in new and creative ways.

The France on Campus Award 2017 is intended to help student organizations eager to launch or continue a major France-related project on campus by providing a unique package of funding, mentoring and networking. With this support, awardees will be expected to expose new audiences to France and French culture on their campus and beyond.

The Cultural Services will select ten winners to receive a unique package of networking, mentorship, and promotional support for their projects. The first and second place winners will also receive funding to implement their projects.

• The first place winner will receive a grant of $2,000

• The second place winner will receive a grant of $1,000

All ten winners will be invited to launch a fundraising campaign on gofundme and will receive the following benefits: mentorship support, promotional and networking support, award certificate signed by the Ambassador of France to the United States, invitations to selected events organized by the French Embassy and/or consulates for one year.

This scholarship is designed to help students who are passionate about traveling.

To apply for this scholarship, students need to submit a personalized video of any destination where he/she has traveled. Applications will be judged on creativity & originality and the winner will be awarded $500 to be used towards their educational expense. All students over the age 18 years and are currently enrolled in any School/University across the world, for any course/program are eligible for this scholarship.

This scholarship is designed to help students who are passionate about traveling.

To apply for this scholarship, students need to submit a personalized video of any destination where he/she has traveled. Applications will be judged on creativity & originality and the winner will be awarded $500 to be used towards their educational expense. All students over the age 18 years and are currently enrolled in any School/University across the world, for any course/program are eligible for this scholarship.